Madison County Circuit Clerk Tom McRae applied for a $20,000 grant to assist residents who are representing themselves in traffic litigation.
“The court system can be very intimidating and time consuming, especially for those who choose to represent themselves rather than retaining a lawyer,” McRae stated in a press release. “Recently grant money became available to assist self-represented litigants (SRLs) and I began to explore areas in the Circuit Clerk’s office where we could potentially make improvements utilizing that funding.”
The grant would help SRLs who appear in traffic court.
“The vast majority of those appearing in traffic court do not have attorneys representing them so this was an obvious area to concentrate on,” McRae stated.
If awarded, the Circuit Clerk’s office will use the grant to purchase computer software that will allow them to automate the check-in process in traffic court. The software would be more user friendly for SRLs and help get them in and out of the courthouse more quickly.
Gena Hargrave, a senior manager in the Circuit Clerk’s office, would act as the coordinator of the program within the office. She would also collect data to track the number of SRLs served. That data would be provided to the Illinois Supreme Court in a quarterly report.
“If awarded any grant money we are required to provide information to the Supreme Court for the next year to identify who benefitted from the funding,” Hargrave stated.
The Illinois Supreme Court established the funding through the Access to Justice Program to encourage the development of innovative programs to assist SRLs.
“We are hoping to introduce the first phase of the improved Traffic Court Triage program as early as late August,” McRae stated. “All those who come in contact with the Circuit Clerk’s office are our customers. We believe this program is a big step forward in improving customer service.”